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hey hope, i am going it to my 3rd year of being the starting keeper do you have any advice on how to train on the off season? Thanks,

By devin From Edwardsville, IL

"You can never get enough agility work as a goalkeeper. Lots of footwork that tires the legs and keeps the heart rate up. Every rep should be at full speed, with little rest in between. Couple that with plyos since it doesn't matter if you tire your legs in the offseason. The key is top speed, don't let yourself just go through cones, your rest can be a slight jog back to the beginning. "

Hey Hope, I just made the national team pool but my ultimate goal is the full team. What do you think is the most crucial thing you had to do to stand out above all the other goalkeepers besides having an extrodinary kicking game?

By Caroline From Kansas City, MO

"Congrats on making the national team pool. That is a feat in and of itself, however I know your end goal is to make the full team. It is important to stand out in order to be noticed. However, often times we all try too hard, and it often plays against us, especially being a gk. Gk's need to be consistent, need to have a sense of calm confidence, but an ability to be intense when needed. Train hard, harder than anybody else, but when it comes to games, which as a natl team gk, we are often judged more by, remain calm and let the game come to you. Stay focused to make good decisions. Decision making is often over looked, and is one of the most important skills a gk can possess. A key phrase I like to live by once said to me by my college gk coach amy griffin is a gk does not win games, a gk saves games."

Hi Hope!!! My name is Zoe Seiler and I am a 12 year old goalkeeper. I got the pleasure to meet you in Saint Louis, but I didn't say anything because I was to excited. I was wondering what your most amazing save was and how did you feel when you made the save. I also wrote a very good paper about you for school and I was shaking the whole time I was writing it because I was so excited. Please write back when you can. From your biggest fan, Zoe Seiler

By Zoe Seiler From Des Moines, IA

"Hi zoe! I can't believe you didn't say hi in st louis! I promise I won't bite! ;) nevertheless thanks for being my biggest fan! Picking my biggest save is very difficult for me. A lot of times my favorite saves are the saves the fans wouldn't appreciate, the non-acrobatic, athletic saves, but the saves I make look easy with footwork and angles or with an early read. It takes a keen eye to recognize the minute details of goalkeeping. As we continue to play we will all soon learn that any goalkeeper can shot stop. Shots-topping isn't the most difficult part of our position. "

I am an 11 year old goal keeper and so are my brothers. I play keeper every game but if someone scores on me I get SUPER mad. All my teammates forgive me but I don't. Every one tells me it is not my fault but it feels like it is. What should I do to not get mad? Also, do you ever get mad if you get scored on?

By Aly From Seattle, WA

"I think this is a great question and I think many goalkeepers could be better at dealing with our emotions when it comes to getting scored on. I get extremely mad, frustrated, upset, and disappointed when I get scored on. However the ability to refocus, and exert more confidence as opposed to sinking and being fearful to make another mistake is a quality that comes with maturity. Its a quality that can help you achieve your goals and dreams in being the best goalkeeper you can be. Being a goalkeeper is like being a zen master. Finding peace in difficult situations is a must especially for a goalkeeper. Dealing with th emotion is important. We can't simply ignore it. When I get scored on, I feel the anger flow through my body, I take a very deep breath, I then pick up a handful of grass and when I'm ready to put the goal behind me, I toss the grass aside. Its my mechanism that tells me its time to move on, and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it now. I recommend finding your own mechanism that helps you deal with those emotions. "

I have been a goalkeeper for 5 years and I was wondering if you could give me some tips to work on high balls because they are my weakness as a goalkeeper.

By meaghan From falls church, VA

"Getting better at high-balls is just a matter of repetition. Being able to read the flight of service early in order to find the exact path to the ball is the key, and there really aren't a whole lot of drills to help read the flight. Its just lots of crossing. Crossing with runners, crossing from different angles, crossing with dummys. Crossing!"

I was wondering what your outlook was on the new league and what you thought its chances were of succeeding. I hope it does succeed, the U.S. needs more soccer!

By Tyler From Chandler, OK

"The WPS is a wonderful league. I wasn't sure just how great it would be until I was actually submersed in it. I love the league in Sweden, and wasn't sure any other league could compare to the Allsvenskia, the Swedish league, but I was quite wrong. WUSA, and the French league I also experienced, but the parity in WPS is second to none. Anybody who watches the games can appreciate the quality of play. We have a mindset of a slow and steady growth, and I believe the plan is working."

What advice would you give to a young goalkeeper? I am 8 years old and I play for the Gilbert Arsenal Soccer Club Premier Team. I have been playing goalkeeper for 3 seasons now but this will be my first as the main one. My dad and i are going to try to go see you play against the sol in July. thank you. Makayla

By Makayla Aman From Chandler, AZ

"Hi Makayla. Goalkeeping is all in how good your feet are. The best gks make everything look easy, and dive less. Work on your lateral footwork speed, and your ability to cover greater distances in the goal will improve."

Was it very obvious that you were a really, really good soccer player when you were young?

By Cristina Lopez From Concord, CA

"I was a very athletic kid, always playing with the boys, and even very competitive as a child. I knew from an early age that I wanted to be a professional soccer player. I wrote about it about the time you learn to write, and there wasn't even professional soccer back then. I never wavered from that dream. I set my eyes on it and everything I did, every choice I made had my end goal in mind. The only difference is, I thought I was going to be a field player not a goalkeeper!"

How has it been trying to adjust to a different playing style, new teammates, and playing against your national team teammates?

By Alondra From Los Angeles, CA

"It is a very strange thing. All of us are so competitive, and we don't drop that level just because we are teammates on a different team. I find myself now, fighting, and defending my St. Louis teammates first and foremost. Of course the playing style has been very difficult to adjust. I finally, halfway through the season, am starting to feel like myself, simply because I'm reading my own defenders better. It really takes time to build a team. "

Who hits the best shot in all of women's soccer?

By brendan From los angeles, CA

"On the US team, I'd have to say Carli Lloyd. She knows how to finish, but the best finisher, not necessarily the hardest shot is Marta. That is one of the reasons why she is FIFA player of the year. She knows how to score goals, and I'm a firm believer it’s not the hardest of shots that constitutes the best shot. "

Hey Hope, So I've followed the WNT for about 3 years now and there's a Facebook group that supports the team. Before the Olympics you always wore number 18 but when Pia announced the roster, all of us noticed you were now number 1. So I was just wondering why the switch? and why never switch back? Thanks again and thanks for taking a photo with my friend and I during the Achieve Your Gold Tour. Great win yesterday and can't wait to watch you play against Sol.

By Michelle Chang From Palos Verdes, Los Angeles, CA

"When I first made the change, I expected to get a lot of questions. I had quite the fan following for #18 and had been it for my entire career on the US team, even throughout college. The reason why I chose #18 in college is because it was also a field players #, and I could still play on the field with it. I had never wanted to face the fact that I had officially converted to being a gk. Years later however, and not long ago, goalkeeping became everything I love, my passion. In the world of soccer, the #1 gk is supposed to be #1, kind of like playmakers are supposed to be #10. I was never able to wear it however, even as the starter for the US team for several years because we have a rule on the team that you pick your # by how many caps you have. After the World Cup was the first time in my career I could make the switch, and after everything that happened I figured there couldn't be a more perfect time for a change. I'm a gk now, and as hard as it was to play that final game in #18, #1 is what I intend to have for the rest of my career."

Where all did you get scholarship offers before you commited to Washington?

By Audrey Hickman From Minford, OH

"I was fortunate enough to have received scholarships from most Division 1 universities. I was a part of the youth national team programs since I was 14, and by the time it was recruitment time I had established myself as one of the top gks in the country. Fortunately now, for those not involved in ODP, there are many more avenues to get recruited, many more club team tournaments, and kids are much more proactive in the process, which makes for better opportunities."

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